Holiday Punch

Dale DeGroff offers tips and recipes for tasty eggnogs and punches sure to fill your party with the holiday spiritby Sara Bonisteel

T here's a fire crackling in the hearth and some classic carols on the iPod, and all the ornaments have been hung with care. All that's needed now is a festive drink to carry on the Christmas spirit.

Whether you're hosting a small get-together or a bigger to-do, hot toddies and punches are a tasty, economical way to celebrate the season. Traditional punches—made with a blend of sugar, water, citrus, alcohol, and spice, and served hot or cold—have been a staple of the party scene since the 17th century.

Holiday Spirits

"My Uncle Angelo had a beautiful home out by the water in Westerly, Rhode Island, and he would start in the morning and serve the punch all day long, because it was a big Italian family, and everybody did all the rounds," says DeGroff, who includes his uncle's recipe in his book The Craft of the Cocktail.

Eggnogs, like most punches, are written as "batch recipes," making them perfect for parties, as their volume can be changed easily. "You can do them by the batch or double or triple the batch," DeGroff says. "At the Rainbow Room I would do a large batch, and it would last a couple of days, because you're not going to beat the whites until you use them, and the yolk, that's fortified—you put it in the fridge, and it's not going to go anywhere, because the alcohol and the sugar will preserve it."

Along with eggnog, punch and spiced drinks such as glögg are always holiday hits. If you think a full punch recipe might make too much beverage for your gathering, look to cocktails with a blend of citrus, alcohol, sugar, spice, and water.

"I love to serve muddled Old Fashioneds, which have become politically incorrect at the cocktillian bars these days," DeGroff says. "But we made them that way in our family at Thanksgiving and Christmas."

Simply muddle an orange slice and Maraschino cherry in the bottom of a glass with a teaspoon of sugar, a splash of soda, and four dashes of Angostura Bitters, he says. Remove the orange and cherry, put in ice and a shot of bourbon, and give it a stir. Serve with a fresh slice of orange and a cherry.

"You're actually making a punch in a glass because when you mash it all up, you've got the juice of the orange and a little bit of cherry juice, and it makes it really nice and festive." Here are some more tips to punch up your party.

Calculate Your Consumption

Guessing how much your holiday guests will consume doesn't have to be a chore. Plan on guests' drinking a couple of glasses within the first hour and then a glass every hour after that. Our Budget New Year's Eve Planner has plenty of alcohol-buying tips from lifestyle guru Katie Brown.

Regulate the Temperature

Keep punches cold by placing the bowl in a bigger bowl filled with ice or a block of carved ice, and use those cut glasses that come with the punch bowl as they're designed to keep your hand from warming the drink. "It's best to have little-handled cups so that you're not touching the bowl and warming it," DeGroff says.

Garnish

Keep any peels used to flavor the sugary base for the drink. "I take those long, spiraled peels, which were candied in essence by the three or four hours of sitting in the sugar, and when I serve them in the punch, I'll stick them in the bowl. I'll cut them a little smaller, so when you ladle them out, a couple of them fall into the glass."

Make It Festive

It's important to invest in a good punch bowl and matching cups if you plan to make punch an annual holiday tradition. "You really need to get some beautiful cut glass, carnival glass," DeGroff says. "Shop around, find something that really looks festive. It's worth it. Get a tray to put it on, and maybe have a little doily that sops up the condensation and doesn't ruin your table, so you have a real presentation."